Teeth, pulling up and cruising...all at once!

We have had a lot of milestones recently!  Elliott (after months and months and months and months of teething) FINALLY has her two bottom teeth.  Recall our earlier blogging when teething began during Lauren's wedding in Vermont.  Yep, she was 5 months old then and is 9 months old now.  So doing quick math, that is four months of teething.  We have gone through bottles of Tylenol, teething tablets and frozen teething toys.  Okay, so I know it's only the beginning of a multitude of teeth yet to come but we are so happy that Elliott has pearly whites decorating her beautiful smile!  She has also learned to pull herself to a stand in her crib which amuses her greatly.  

As you can see from this picture, Elliott and Monti are planning their escape.  They plan to travel the countryside in Elliott's pram, solving mysteries and fighting crime.  This new plan is possible because Elliott just started walking behind her pram.  Ya-Ya and Pooh Ba gave her this amazing wooden walker for Christmas and until recently she only played with toys on the sides.  Today she began to push forward and realized how quickly she could go!  Now the trick is teaching her to fall on her bottom.  Presently she falls forward, gripping tightly to the handle like the opening scene from "Cliffhanger".  It is the kind of  death-grip that whitens her precious little knuckles.  It is as though she is clinging to a trapeze high above the ground, and she knows there is no net to catch her.      

She is fast.  Faster than an octogenarian with a walker.  The dogs love the exercise they get chasing her from the back of the house to the front door, and back again...all day long.  
She has enough hair now for Mommy to style it.   She loves having her hair brushed.  We tried giving Elliott her own brush, but she just tries to eat the handle.  
I know this is a terrible picture of our beautiful girl, but it is the best we have to show her emerging bottom teeth. All Spencer can think about is the orthodontist's bills.  

Things are changing fast.  We will keep posting with all the updates. 

Crib Frustration

This is me happy.   I don't look like this today ... the crib is to blame.  Thankfully,  cooler heads prevailed and our marriage will survive.

I hate the crib.  I loathe the vile thing.  After one failed attempt to lower it to the appropriate height, I almost packed an overnight bag and went back to the office.  I seriously considered sleeping under my desk last night.  I was about to take a hatchet to the thing (Elliott and Courtney were not in the room), when I decided avoidance was better than wanton violence and destruction.

As for co-sleeping, I worry all is lost.  We have opened Pandora's box, no going back to Elliott spending all night in the crib (once it is repaired).  Soon I will have to buy a California-King just to fit the dogs, children and pillows.  That or I will have to permanently relocate to the guest room. 

Elliott went down easily today.  Hopefully we will enjoy a full night sleep. 

  

  

Blogging...time....never!

Here it is, almost the end of January, and I'm just getting to blog for the first time since Christmas.  It is freezing cold in Roanoke, Virginia but we have welcomed winter with open arms.  This time a year ago we were eagerly awaiting the arrival of Elliott and beginning to put together her nursery.  I laugh thinking about how naive we were with eyes wide open.  In fact, it was almost exactly a year ago that we purchased her crib and dresser.  We would gaze into it's emptiness and think: "We'll have a little squirming, squealing baby in there soon!"  Oh, how life has changed.  Now Elliott starts out in the crib but usually ends up in our bed at about 2 or 3 am when Spence and I can't take anymore of the screaming.  

And yes, we are now "eating crow" for all those people that we nay-sayed about co-sleeping.  When you work as hard and as long hours as Spencer and I both do, you'll do anything for even another 20 minutes of sleep.  And quite honestly, I love having my little snuggling 9-month old right there between us.  After all, we waited so long for her, we want to enjoy every moment with her.  And that includes middle of the night meetings and spooning in our family bed.  Now will we regret this later when she's a full-blown toddler and refusing to sleep alone?  Maybe.  But who cares, you only live once and I don't mind having these extra little moments. 

I also laugh thinking about that empty crib as we endured the first "lowering of the crib" experience that will never be forgotten. Spencer and I have had some fights in the history of our relationship but let me just tell you, the lowering of the crib will truly test your marriage!  Poor frustrated Spencer tried so hard to lower the crib so our 9-month old who wants to stand and propel herself out won't hurt herself.  And to no avail.  The holes do not line up meaning that the mattress isn't steady and now the once easy one-arm-able lowering side is stuck in the down position.  So we can't even raise the crib back up for now and we can't get into the drawer beneath.  Thank God for factory warranties and the nice lady at Virginia Furniture Market who is sending out the technician tomorrow to fix our ailing crib.  (And remember, she's in the bed a lot now anyway!)

Here are Elliott, Peyton and Millie out at "In Recess" for a little R and R with their parents.  We had a blast that weekend as it poured down rain and we watched the wild rapids of the rising Jackson River wondering if we were going to be able to make it across the river to leave on Sunday!  What an adventure!

Finally, Christmas Celebration #3-Max and Rebecca's House

We ended our WEEK of celebrating Christmas with an all-day adventure at Max, Rebecca and Millie's house.  We enjoyed another beautiful warm day with food and presents.  Elliott did a lot of screaming and yelling at her cousin and Millie did a lot of running away from the screaming baby.  But both girls enjoyed Millie's new pink kitchen, especially the faux wooden food that Uncle Pierce gave Millie.  

Elliott with her Christmas bow.  

Mommy and Elliott.

Uncle Max and Cousin Millie.  

Daddy and Elliott.

Elliott opening her gift from Cousin Millie.  She has already watched the Elmo DVD about pets!  La la la Elmo's World!  Is it sad that Mommy enjoys Sesame Street as much as her child?  I am fascinated by that show and have been since I was Elliott's age!  

Christmas celebration #2-Roanoke-Our Home

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were spent in the comforts of our own home in Roanoke.  We had Spencer's parents, little brother, Pierce, and Elliott's Godparents, Whit and Lauren over Christmas Eve for a huge feast.  After putting the baby to sleep we all gathered in the family room and became engrossed in TNT's 24-hours of "A Christmas Story." We proceeded to watch in from the second half to finish and then resumed it from the beginning.  The whole time I was imaging Daddy's little girl, seven years from now, wanting that Red Rider BB gun and Daddy purchasing it for her (in pink of course) without hesitation.  (That is, unless, in the future we can't purchase those types of firearms either....)

These are the matching Christmas pajama's that were a gift from Whit and Lauren.  

Here is Elliott surrounded by all her gifts.  Yes, those are all gifts for an 8-month-old baby.  She has no idea how truly spoiled she is!  She was the happiest baby I have ever seen that morning and I still tear up thinking about how wonderful her Christmas was.  Next year will be fun when we can introduce Elliott to Santa but there is only one true first Christmas.  

Yep, she got a lot of giraffe things.  I couldn't help myself.  

And yes, she helped open some of her gifts too!  She loved them all but her favorites include the activity tent from Babbie and Pop, the huge activity zebra from Ya Ya and Pooh Ba, and the Madame Alexander doll from Mom and Dad.  It was 67 degrees and gorgeous in Roanoke for our first Christmas with our darling daughter and we couldn't have asked for a better day. 

 And of course we ended our Christmas Day with the new Wiegard tradition of Chinese food that night (a la "A Christmas Story.").

Christmas celebration #1-The Franklin Family

Wiegard Team #1 began our first of three Christmas celebrations in Waynesboro with the Franklin family.  We had our early celebration the weekend before Christmas at Babbie and Pop's house.  The picture above is of G.G. opening the little book that we made for her called "What G.G. really means, as told from the perspective of Elliott Marion Wiegard." It was filled with all photos of G. G. holding Elliott with different meanings for G.G.  She loved it!

The Franklin cousins and Elliott.  It was wild with the Franklin Tornado as we like to call them.  From left to right starting in the back are Mary Quinn (Sister Bear), Brodie, Baby Thea and Baby Elliott.  Mary Quinn and Brodie affectionately refer to the babies this way which we think is super cute.  The "sister-cousins" who are a month apart may be called Baby Thea and Baby Elliott until they are in their teens!  G. G. had hoped that we would open one gift at a time so that we could all see what each person was receiving....ha!  You can imagine that it was a lot of paper and ribbons flying.  

Baby Elliott wore her first of many Christmas outfits.  This one is a top and matching pantaloons.  It was a little big on her but so cute!  

Poor Spencer lamented to the fact that Christmas really is no longer about the adults but completely about the children.  He and I received about 5 gifts between us.  We knew this was coming as we had even decided against exchanging gifts between the two of us but it really hit home on this weekend.  It was so much more fun to help Elliott open her gifts.  Of course she had no idea what was going on but this Christmas was more for us to enjoy our new baby.

Mom's turn at amateur photography!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  

Elliott's "tiger" pose!